Trump Wraps Up Summit in Beijing

President Donald Trump has departed from Beijing following a significant summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump boarded Air Force One shortly after 2:40 PM local time on Friday, after a brief ceremony with an honor guard on the tarmac. His team is en route to Alaska for a refueling stop before heading back to the White House.

While speaking to reporters on the plane, Trump referred to Xi as “a great man.”

There were questions regarding the summit’s outcomes when China’s foreign minister indicated that discussions on Taiwan would be a priority for them. Xi is quite firm on Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait, though Trump mentioned he is “not making any commitments one way or the other.”

“I think what we need most right now is a war 9,500 miles away,” he later remarked.

China aims to claim Taiwan as part of its territory. Taiwan hosts some of the leading semiconductor manufacturers globally, producing chips vital for smartphones, computers, cars, AI systems, and military tech. The waterway between mainland China and Taiwan is also one of the busiest shipping lanes worldwide.

Trump suggested that Xi had inquired about whether he would protect Taiwan, which operates as an autonomous democratic island.

“I said, I’m not going to talk about it,” he mentioned.

Another critical topic discussed was the ongoing conflict regarding Iran. Trump reiterated to reporters on the plane what the White House had disclosed after their Thursday meeting: Xi’s agreement with the U.S. on a firm policy regarding Iran’s nuclear enrichment.

Trump said of Xi: “I’m very interested in Iran. I feel very strongly that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.”

“We feel very similar in that we want to end the conflict,” he added.

Trump has expressed that his patience with Iran is dwindling after attempts to negotiate a peace deal.

“I’m not going to be any more patient,” he stated in an interview broadcast on Thursday night. “They should make a deal.”

During the same program, Xi stated that he promised not to supply military equipment to Iran during their meeting.

“He said he’s not going to give us military equipment. That’s a serious statement,” Trump told the host. “He said that very strongly, but he also noted that they continue to buy a lot of oil and he wants to keep doing that.”

However, a spokesperson from the Chinese Ministry of Defense claimed late last month that suggestions of China supplying weapons to Iran were simply “spreading misinformation.”

Overall, Trump reflected positively on the meeting, mentioning that “a lot of good things” came from it.

“We’ve solved a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve,” he noted. “We have a great trade deal for both countries.”

A delegation of over ten CEOs from major American companies, including SpaceX, Apple, and Mastercard, accompanied Trump to China. A significant trade agreement was reached, with Xi agreeing to purchase 200 jets from Boeing, represented by its CEO at the meeting.

“Two hundred big jobs. That’s a lot of jobs,” Trump remarked. “Boeing wanted 150 planes, and they got 200.”